Ships of Vikings

In 1904 the funeral castle of Vikings was found in a manor Oseberg in Norway. It was the Viking ship made of an oak it was buried approximately in 834. Burial as it appeared, was women’s, it is supposed that this ship belonged the queen to Icq from a sort Inglingov. Together with it was remains of one more woman, probably servants as it became clear are found, it had a rare gaplogruppa of U7 which meets only in Western Asia.

Burial was robbed still in the ancient time, robbers carried away all things from valuable metals. But there were many objects from a tree, and also a remaining balance of fabrics, in particular there were many pieces of silk, modern researches showed that this silk was made in Persia. It is supposed that Vikings received silk fabrics as a result of trade relations with the East, and also attacks to Transcaucasia and Northern Iran with use of the Dnieper Rivers and Volga.

Excavation of the ship in Oseberg – a castle stern.

Excavation in Oseberg. Local soils allowed the wooden ship to remain almost entirely. (Clickable)

Transportation of the ship from Oseberg in the museum.

Castle from Oseberg in the Museum of the ships of Vikings in Oslo.

The ship after restoration.

Fodder part of a castle from Oseberg. Length of the ship is 21,6 meters, width is 5,1 meters. It had 15 couples of oarlocks for 30 oarsmen.

Together with the ship the wooden ritual vehicle and four wooden sledge which had too ritual value was found in burial.

The vehicle is decorated with a thread in the Scandinavian (German) animal style.

Reconstruction of a funeral in Oseberg. It is considered that the queen of Vikings put in a barrow when it was half ready.

At burial there were also remains of ten horses harnessed in couples and four dogs.

Images from boards of the ritual vehicle from Oseberg.

Wooden sledge from Oseberg.

Other ship of Vikings from the Museum of Viking ships in Oslo – a castle from Gokstad. This vessel had length about 23 m and width of 5,1 m found the Gokstadsky ship in 1880, dendrokhronologichesky dating showed that the tree for it was cut down approximately in 890.

Transportation of the Gokstadsky ship.

The Gokstadsky ship had the funeral wooden camera in the form of a tent, on a castle from Oseberg such camera remained worse. Also it was supplied with wooden boards on boards. In the funeral camera there were the man’s remains in a sitting position of 1,8 m in height and at the age of over 50 years, also at burial there were skeletons of 12 horses and 6 dogs, except them aft vessels found still pens and bones of a peacock.

Ruins of the wooden funeral camera on a castle from Gokstad.

Reconstruction of a castle from Gokstad in the Museum of the ships of Vikings. (Clickable)

It is considered that the ship from Gokstad was more powerful than a castle from Oseberg and could walk in the high sea in difference from last.

In 1893 on the exact copy of the Viking ship from Gokstad several enthusiasts from Norway crossed Northern Atlantic, having been on the World Fair in Chicago.